01/18/2009 21:54:13

This Readme document contains important information to read before you install Microsoft® SQL Server® 2005 Service Pack 3 (SP3). It describes how to obtain the latest version of Books Online, how to obtain SQL Server 2005 SP3, how to find installation assistance, and how to find supplemental product information in the Release Notes.

Updates to SQL Server Books Online

The November 2008 update of SQL Server Books Online is the primary documentation for SQL Server 2005 SP3. The November 2008 update of Books Online reflects product updates that are included in this service pack, and also includes other improvements to the documentation. We recommend that you install this update to keep the information in your local copy of the documentation current with SQL Server 2005 SP3. You can obtain Books Online in the following ways:

For a list of new and updated topics in the November 2008 update, see New and Updated Books Online Topics (17 November 2008) on MSDN.

Obtaining SQL Server 2005 SP3

SQL Server 2005 SP3 is available for download at the SQL Server 2005 SP3 download page. A separate downloadable installation package is available for each platform that is supported by SQL Server 2005.

Note:
The 32-bit version of SP3 can be used to update 32-bit instances that run in Windows-on-Windows 64 (WOW64) x86 emulation mode on a 64-bit system. The 32-bit version will not upgrade any components of a 64-bit instance of SQL Server 2005. To upgrade all components of a 64-bit instance of SQL Server 2005, use the 64-bit version of SP3.

SP3 package name Operating systems1

SQLServer2005SP3-KB955706-x86-LLL.exe

All supported 32-bit Windows operating systems, including 32-bit instances on 64-bit operating systems.

SQLServer2005SP3-KB955706-x64-LLL.exe

Supported Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 64-bit X64 editions.

SQLServer2005SP3-KB955706-IA64-LLL.exe

Supported Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008 64-bit Itanium editions.

1For information about supported operating systems for SQL Server 2005, see Hardware and Software Requirements for Installing SQL Server on MSDN.

Note:
LLL represents a designator that varies by language.

Follow the instructions that are provided at the download site for downloading SQL Server 2005 SP3.

Installing SQL Server 2005 SP3

For information about how to install SQL Server 2005 SP3, see the "Installing the Service Pack (Hotfix)" topic in the SQL Server 2005 SP3 Setup documentation. This topic includes important information about how to prepare for SQL Server 2005 SP3 installation, including what to back up in case you need to uninstall the service pack. For information about how to access the Setup documentation, see the following section.

Additionally, we recommend that you review the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 SP3 Release Notes page for information about Setup issues and for uninstall considerations.

Accessing SQL Server 2005 SP3 Setup Documentation

You can access Setup documentation for SQL Server 2005 SP3 in one of the following ways:

  • Click Help or press F1 from a Help-enabled screen in the Setup wizard.
  • Download and run the file Sqlhotfix_setuphelp.exe from the Readme Files for SQL Server 2005 SP3 download page.
  • Manually extract and open the Help file from the SQL Server 2005 SP3 download package.
    To access SQL Server 2005 SP3 Setup documentation from the SP3 download package

    1. Download and save the SQL Server 2005 SP3 download package.

    2. Extract the SQL Server 2005 SP3 download package by using either of the following methods:

      • Use Winzip or another third-party decompression utility.
      • At a command prompt, navigate to the folder where you saved the download package, and then type the following, where PPP is the platform designator and LLL is the language designator:
        SQLServer2005SP3-KB955706-PPP-LLL.exe /x
        Press ENTER. Choose a folder to save the extracted files, and then click OK.

    3. In the folder where you saved the extracted files, open the locale ID folder (for example, 1033 for U.S. English), and then double-click the file Sqlhotfix.chm.

Read the Release Notes for the Latest Product Information

The Release Notes provide supplemental information about product behavior that applies only to this release or that are not documented in this release of Books Online. The Release Notes are available from the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 SP3 Release Notes page.